BBC BASIC forum
Does anybody know what is happening over at the BBC BASIC forum? There was an announcement on Sunday from the 'new administrator' so I joined and posted a message about BBC BASIC (Z80) v5, but after more than 36 hours my post is still "not visible to other users until it has been approved by a moderator". So as far as I'm concerned the forum is still very much not operational.
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I hadn't realised you had posted one - I posted a message to the board signposting readers to the thread here.
I wonder if the new admin is aware your posts are moderated - and personally I think you should be free to post as you wish on your own forum, on the server that you pay for!
Edit: Perhaps as a new user you need a certain posting history before you can start threads in phpBB?0 -
He doesn't seem contactable. I've sent an email and a PM, no response to either.I wonder if the new admin is aware your posts are moderated - and personally I think you should be free to post as you wish on your own forum, on the server that you pay for!
Yes, all new users are moderated until their first post is approved. But if there's nobody to approve it, they can never successfully post!Edit: Perhaps as a new user you need a certain posting history before you can start threads in phpBB?
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It's true that I pay for the hosting, but the forum is a small part. I have even offered my services as a moderator (I was one when DDRM was admin) but again no response as yet, although that was only 24 hours ago or so.personally I think you should be free to post as you wish on your own forum, on the server that you pay for!
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Hopefully the new forum admin knows you're the real deal and not an imposter?0
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Perhaps that's the problem!Hopefully the new forum admin knows you're the real deal and not an imposter?
When I emailed him I did so from my normal address, and we've communicated previously using that same address, so I don't think he should be in any doubt.
P.S. The PM I sent is still in my Outbox, not in my Sent box, which means he hasn't read it.
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I really hope I'm not breaking any confidences by quoting this extract from a private email, especially as I've had reason to be upset about that myself in the past, but this is what the new admin said was his intention: "I will log on every evening or every other evening to see if there are spam posts/etc to delete. If I miss something or something needs more urgent attention, you can contact me". I'm wondering if he is unwell, because this definitely seems not to be happening.
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Given that he said "...or every other evening" and you posted on Tuesday evening, hopefully he will see it tonight?0
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I've now heard from the new admin, and (much to my surprise) he says that he never expected that one of his responsibilities would be approving posts from moderated members, and that he doesn't even know how to! My offer to be a moderator myself hasn't been accepted.Hated_moron wrote: »Let's wait and see.
So my post remains in the 'needing approval' state and it looks like it will remain that way. On that basis I can see no alternative but to close the forum down again, because the main reason for wanting to reinstate it was so I could provide support for my products there.
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That's a bit daft of him as all new users will need this. Basic (pun not intended) responsibilities of a forum admin that he should have been aware of when he took up the role.
I'm pretty sure a quick Google search will give him the answer he needs.0 -
I thought so too, and anyway I assumed that when the previous administrator passed the login details etc. to him there would have been some discussion about what the main responsibilities were likely to be, based on his own experience.That's a bit daft of him as all new users will need this. Basic (pun not intended) responsibilities of a forum admin that he should have been aware of when he took up the role.
One can only make a judgement based on the 'feeling' one gets from the content of emails, and all the indications (as far as I was concerned) were that the new admin fully understood the scope of the role. He did, after all, talk about checking the forum every evening or every other evening.
There's nowt so queer as folk (as they used to say, but it's probably not 'politically correct' now!).
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The new admin has confirmed that he had no idea that his role would involve approving posts from moderated members, is seemingly highly aggrieved that he was not told (although I'm almost sure I mentioned it, I certainly mentioned my willingness to be a moderator, which I was under the old management), and has resigned!That's a bit daft of him as all new users will need this.
So that was a very short-lived revival of the forum indeed! I suppose you don't know of anybody who might be prepared to take over and would be less surprised by the duties?!
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That's most unfortunate
I'm not quite sure how much time would be involved (and I'm likely to be off air entirely for part of July as I am on holiday in places with little to no signal in Wales) otherwise I would offer my services (though, you might feel there's a conflict of interest there...) 0 -
I couldn't care less about a conflict of interest - I have no idea what the 'interest' of the short-lived admin was anyway, he was just somebody who volunteered his services - but I wasn't expecting you to do it (unless you want to). Do you think there might be any point in asking at StarDot?(though, you might feel there's a conflict of interest there...)
A practical problem that I'm now faced with is that I believe (although I'm not certain) that the previous admin, David Marples, transferred 'founder' status to the new chap. That gives him ultimate administrative power, and even if somebody were to volunteer to take over the forum there's no way I can enable that myself, only the recently-resigned 'founder' can do that.
I've asked him if he would kindly agree to be contacted should somebody volunteer, but he's not replied and I suspect he may never reply. If that's the case the forum is screwed, permanently.0 -
I'm happy to step up. And, if you have a recent-ish database backup from before founder status was transferred, then at the cost of a few posts being lost the founder status would be returned to DDRM.0
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The backup situation isn't great, the most recent one looks like it's April (see below). But how do we restore the forum from a backup without admin access?if you have a recent-ish database backup from before founder status was transferred, then at the cost of a few posts being lost the founder status would be returned to DDRM.
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It looks like a compressed SQL (MySQL?) dump file. Which, given server shell access, could be applied back to the DB. (I would first snapshot /var/lib/mysql first - as I did when doing updates here.)0
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I've got FTP access, is that sufficient? I've also got phpMyAdmin access, which has something to do with databases. I don't know about telnet or ssh, I'm not sure whether the Hostinger cheap hosting packages offer that or not, it's outside my experience.Which, given server shell access, could be applied back to the DB.
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PhpMyAdmin is a web-based front end to the MySQL database (and its fork, MariaDB).
But, if it were my shout I wouldn't risk trying it unless (1) the server is otherwise sunk, or (2) I can take a snapshot of the server so I can rewind should it all go pear-shaped, before doing anything with the database.0 -
PhpMyAdmin does allow for Export and Import. There is phpbb database expertise available, if for example one wanted to promote or demote an account.0
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It looks like DDRM and PM are aware of the loopholes and have made sure they are well-and-truly closed:There is phpbb database expertise available, if for example one wanted to promote or demote an account.- If you try to 'demote' the sole founder, by editing the database, the forum will detect this condition (there always has to be a founder) and will crash.
- If you try to promote a moderated member (i.e. me) to be a co-founder, the forum will get confused because the moderated status will remain, and a founder can never ordinarily be moderated.
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We can probably do something with a database backup and phpMyAdmin. I am willing to assist with that. You have the April backup, I'm sure that will be in a sane state, perhaps with DDRM as founder.0
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Maybe I'm worrying unnecessarily, but do you not think that by 'playing dirty' (i.e. hacking into the database) we might embolden DDRM and PM to play dirty too? If they were so inclined, they could do a lot of damage to BBC BASIC - and to me - quite separately from the forum.We can probably do something with a database backup and phpMyAdmin. I am willing to assist with that.
I mentioned not long ago that somebody at the 'BASIC Programming Language' Facebook group had threatened me with exposing 'what they knew' about my involvement with the CLP in the early 1980s. I have no idea what they might be referring to, but maybe there's a 'skeleton in my closet' that my brain has wiped, but which could be the cause of much upset or embarrassment if revealed.
I'm all for an easy life, and if attempting to restore the forum by 'nefarious' means could result in distress or worse, perhaps it's not wise. After all, if DDRM and PM have decided that the forum is best closed permanently, who am I to say they are wrong?0 -
Are we even sure this was deliberate, and not an accidental mess-up?0
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I'm not certain, no. I'm basing my tentative judgement on the fact that Patrick is not replying to my emails, which he was doing regularly and promptly until his sudden 'resignation', and the fact that his reasons for giving up seemed so bizarre.Are we even sure this was deliberate, and not an accidental mess-up?
He was being totally reasonable and helpful about everything - agreeing to check the forum at least every other evening seemed quite generous - up to the point when he received 'the keys to the door' then his attitude changed dramatically.
But of course there could be many explanations: illness, a work or family crisis, substance abuse (!) you name it. All I know is that the forum currently has no admin (not even a moderator), which isn't a state in which it can safely be left for any length of time.
I'm happy to consider any course of action that doesn't risk making things worse.
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Does your host offer SSH access? If so, if you would trust me with the details I may be able to fix it, and I can take a snapshot of the database so the worst case would be no improvement.0
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It looks like it, but whereas I can create a limited FTP account providing access only to the forum (which is what DDRM and PM have so they can download backups and update to later versions of phpBB etc.) I can't see any equivalent for SSH. So whilst I have no reason to distrust you, I imagine it would be unwise in the extreme to give you unfettered access to the entire website, and I don't suppose you'd want that anyway.Does your host offer SSH access?
Does that give us any way forward? Doesn't phpMyAdmin provide a 'safe' way for me to take a snapshot, I think Ed was suggesting that perhaps it does?
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I think it does, I should be able to take a complete backup from phpMyAdmin then continue from there. (I'm just used to working from the Linux command line, as I do this for my day job for Spring Fibre, and previously UK Broadband / Three.)0
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I remain uneasy about doing something which seems to me a bit 'dishonest', i.e. hacking the forum's database to achieve what in normal circumstances only an administrator can do. If we do that doesn't it put us in the wrong - rather like Fujitsu fiddling with Post Office Horizon records?!I think it does, I should be able to take a complete backup from phpMyAdmin then continue from there.
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I would say not. It's your forum, your server, and if the database is damaged (which it is, if it's got the forum in a broken state) then any means necessary to repair it are fair game. And, as you have phpBB access, you are effectively the server administrator, even if not the (phpBB) service administrator.
The Fujitsu example would make sense if it was phpBB developers using a backdoor to access your database.0
